Henrik

Österblom

PhD

Science director, professor

henrik.osterblom@su.se

+46 8 674 76 64

@henrikosterblom

RSS-link

Profile summary

  • Ocean governance
  • Transnational corporations
  • Cultural evolution
  • Fisheries management
  • Seabirds and the Baltic Sea

Henrik Österblom's research focuses on marine ecosystems, ocean stewardship and the evolution of cooperation. He is also science director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre

Österblom has a PhD in Marine Ecology from the Department of Systems Ecology at Stockholm University, and a Master’s Degree in Behavioural Ecology from the Department of Zoology at Uppsala University.

He is interested in marine ecosystems and ways to improve ocean stewardship. Starting as a seabird ecologist, with a particular interest in social interactions between alcids, he has worked on understanding how the Baltic Sea is managed, how international collaboration emerged to address non-compliance in Southern Ocean fisheries, and how transnational corporations shape the present and future ocean. Ongoing work is focusing on the role of science in society and the cultural evolution of global prosocial behavior. He has worked at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and as Special Advisor to the Swedish Government in the Secretariat for the Environmental Advisory Council.

Österblom has facilitated the Keystone Dialogues, a global co-production project including major private actors in global seafood, which has resulted in the establishment of the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) initiative, aimed to transform global seafood towards more sustainable practices. This project is funded by the Walton Family Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He is also principal investigator of project New solutions to marine problems, aimed at accelerating marine ecosystem knowledge through the use of autonomous drones and artificial intelligence and funded by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation.

Österblom is a member of the Expert Group for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and member of the IMBER Human Dimensions Working Group. He serves on the international advisory board of the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies (SARAS²), as board member of Race for the Baltic, and as chairman of the SeaBOS Fundraising foundation. He is subject editor for Ecology and Society, and PLOS One.

Podcasts

Stockholm Resilience Centre podcast on the importance of music and science.

Guest on Rethink Talks: What it takes to make science and business connect, exploring the challenges and risks associated to science business collaboration.

Staff details

Google Scholar

Download high-res images (credit: Azote images)

Share

Facebook
Twitter
Email

Publications by Österblom, Henrik

Seabird‐induced natural mortality of forage fish varies with fish abundance: Evidence from five ecosystems

Journal / article | 2020

Saraux, C., Sydeman, W.J., Piatt, J.F., Anker‐Nilssen, T., Hentati‐Sundberg, J., Bertrand, S., Cury, P.M., Furness, R.W., Mills, J.A., Österblom, H. and Passuni, G., 2020. Seabird‐induced natural mortality of forage fish varies with fish abundance: Evidence from five ecosystems. Fish and Fisheries.

Forage fish populations often undergo large and rapid fluctuations in abundance. However, most of their predators are buffered against such fluctuations owing to their slower pace of life, which allows them to maintain more stable populations, at least during short periods of food scarcity. In this study, we investigated top‐down processes exerted by seabirds on forage fish stocks in five contrasted marine ecosystems, compili...

Science-Industry Collaboration: Sideways or Highways to Ocean Sustainability?

Journal / article | 2020

Österblom, H., Cvitanovic, C., van Putten, I., Addison, P., Blasiak, R., Jouffray, J.B., Bebbington, J., Hall, J., Ison, S., LeBris, A. and Mynott, S., 2020. Science-Industry Collaboration: Sideways or Highways to Ocean Sustainability?. One Earth, 3(1), pp.79-88.

There is substantial and unexplored potential for scientists to engage with the private sector for a sustainable ocean. The importance of such cooperation is a frequent emphasis of international dialogues and statements, it is embedded within the Sustainable Development Goals, and has been championed by prominent business leaders and scientists. But an uncritical embrace of science-industry collaboration is unhelpful, and cand...

Attuning to a changing ocean

Journal / article | 2020

Stenseth, N.C., Payne, M.R., Bonsdorff, E., Dankel, D.J., Durant, J.M., Anderson, L.G., Armstrong, C.W., Blenckner, T., Brakstad, A., Dupont, S. and Eikeset, A.M., 2020. Attuning to a changing ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(34), pp.20363-20371.

The ocean is a lifeline for human existence, but current practices risk severely undermining ocean sustainability. Present and future social−ecological challenges necessitate the maintenance and development of knowledge and action by stimulating collaboration among scientists and between science, policy, and practice. Here we explore not only how such collaborations have developed in the Nordic countries and adjacent seas but ...

A transition to sustainable ocean governance

Journal / article | 2020

Brodie Rudolph, T., Ruckelshaus, M., Swilling, M. et al. 2020. A transition to sustainable ocean governance. Nat Commun 11, 3600 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17410-2

Human wellbeing relies on the Biosphere, including natural resources provided by ocean ecosystems. As multiple demands and stressors threaten the ocean, transformative change in ocean governance is required to maintain the contributions of the ocean to people. Here we illustrate how transition theory can be applied to ocean governance. We demonstrate how current economic and social systems can adapt to existing pressures and ...